GETAWAY CAR

33. Cupcakes

July 14th 2017

Karlie's POV

"They're gonna be here soon." I mumble at Taylor as I check my watch. We agreed to watch Mia for a week after Joe decided to surprise Kristine with a getaway somewhere warm. It doesn't really matter whether she comes here or if she goes to St Louis because it's an even distance either way from their home, but after being given the choice Mia quickly decided to stay with us over my mom and dad.

"Did you finish making up the spare room?" She asks, walking into the kitchen as I sit on the counter. "I did it this morning." I inform her and she stands between my legs, resting her hands on my thighs. "Maisie's napping upstairs." She tells me as she reaches for the baby monitor sitting on the counter beside me, turning it on so we can hear her if she wakes up. "How are you feeling?" I smile sympathetically as she holds her stomach. We had a birthing class this morning but by the end of it, Taylor was really dizzy and lightheaded which worried me immediately and the second we were in the car I was on the phone to her doctor who assured us that it's a normal symptom, but if she develops severe headaches then it could be her preeclampsia getting worse. "I'm feeling better, babe. I think I was just hungry, I didn't eat anything this morning." She sighs as she answers me.

She moves away from me and I jump down off of the the counter. Taylor's phone starts to ring and she picks it up as I open the fridge to get a bottle of water. Observing her as I take a drink of the cold water, it's still so warm here in Nashville and neither of us are handling it very well. "She's family, you can let her through." Taylor smiles as she nods to herself, ending the call soon after. "They're here." She raises her eyebrows at me as she puts her phone back down and grabs the baby monitor as she starts walking through the house to the front door. They're pulling into the driveway as she opens the door and as Taylor hangs back, I walk down the driveway to the car. Mia's the first one that comes into sight as she jumps out of the car and runs for Taylor, playing favourites again.

"Hey!" I grin as I pull my sister into a hug. "How are you?" She asks, pulling away and framing my face with her hands. "I'm great, Taylor's doing good, Maisie's perfect." I laugh as she lets go, there's a side of me that loves how overprotective she is, but part of me absolutely hates it, although I do hope Maisie is this protective of her little brother and sister. Joe appears around the other side of the car and I share a hug with him too before grabbing Mia's suitcase from the back. "She's so excited to get to spend time with you. Mom and Dad were totally out of the picture the second I mentioned your name." My sister laughs as I move the little girls booster seat from their car to ours, "Taylor's going to fall in love with this thing." I comment on the booster seat, it's got cinderella on it with a cape attached and everything.

I close the door once I'm done, locking the car and turning back to my sister. "We're delighted to have her, Maisie loves her cousin and I never get to see her anymore." I pout as I pick up the little girls suitcase and we walk towards the house. "She talks about you all the time, she even mentioned that you and Taylor are going to get married." She raises an eyebrow at me as I laugh, I should've known that conversation wouldn't be taken lightly. "She asked Taylor why Maisie doesn't have a dad, and Taylor explained that Maisie has two moms instead because she fell in love with a woman and not a man, and that led to the whole explanation of us being together and Mia coming to the conclusion that we're going to get married. Which we will eventually, but not anytime in the near future." I explain the whole thing to my sister who just nods, her eyebrow raised as if she doesn't believe me but I brush it off as we walk into the house.

You hear the giggles almost immediately as you step inside and I leave Mia's stuff by the stairs as I lead them towards the kitchen. "Someone sounds happy." I smile at my niece who runs over and I wrap her in my arms. "How are you, munchkin?" I ask as I look down to her and she bares a toothy grin at me as she looks up. "I made loads of friends at summer camp and my ballet teacher said I'm getting a solo for the autumn performance." She grins, so proud of herself. "That's amazing, Mimi!" I beam at her, smiling as proudly is she is. I was only 19 when she was born and I fell in love with my niece immediately and we've always been super close, and I know she won't admit it but I'm her favourite aunt.